Horse slaughter is the torture and murder of American pets. In fact, 80% of Americans are opposed to it. Horses are considered domesticated companion animals, and have served mankind for thousands of years. They have carried us on the battlefield, plowed our fields, delivered our mail, carried us on cross-country migrations, and provided therapy for our children with disabilities. This nation was founded on horseback.
Even transporting horses to slaughter is fraught with cruelty. These animals are terrified, denied food and water, packed into double-decker livestock trailers, and exposed to temperatures from -0 to 110 degrees. There is no mercy for them, they suffer dehydration and broken limbs. Even foals and pregnant mares are not spared. But, their nightmare has only begun.
At the processing facility, they are roughly unloaded. Mass panic sets in, and more injuries occur. Any horse that cannot walk is dragged to the kill. Captive bolts are used to inflict brain damage. The horses thrash, and rear their heads. It can take 7 shots to subdue them. They slip on bloody floors. Still, they are not dead. They are hoisted up, and their throats are cut. Many are still conscious, in agony, and aware at their moment of death.
A short time before, 92.3% of these animals were healthy and in the prime of their lives. Trusting, gentle, many trained to saddle...nickering when a human approached them. They were once majestic...the icon of American Freedom. Now, they are reduced to having their limbs severed, their skins torn from them, and their bodies sliced into unrecognizable pieces of bloody flesh.
With each beat of their hearts, their lifeblood pours out...and the soul of America dies with them.
America has become a turncoat, and betrayed the trust of the animal that carried us to freedom.We call upon you to ban American horse slaughter, and spare the companion, the symbol of freedom, and the soul of our nation.
